Richmount News
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Edition 15 Richmount News February 2019 Want to have a Published by Richmount Rural Community Association party , event, training ? Working together for all in our community A great and challenging programme In this edition: for the year ahead to benefit our • PEACE 1V project community • Arts for our older people This is how Joe Garvey, chairman of the Association, described • DFA Cultural Diversity project the year ahead. He outlined that there is a wide and varied • Creation of Older People’s Forum programme for this year. Including: • From Stone age giants to the 20th • PEACE IV Shared Spaces and Services Re-Imaging Richmount Community project Century - 5 millennia of heritage at Centre is available for hire. • Community Pharmacy project for our senior citizens Ballintaggart The community centre is • Arts Council NI project for older people increasingly being used for • Improvements to community centre birthday parties both for • Good Neighbours for aging well project for older • Loneliness doesn’t discriminate children and adults. people • Our Elders - campaigners and advocates There are facilities for • Department of Foreign Affairs , Dublin heating food, and catering • Older People’s Fund -Campaigning & Advocacy • Richmount Primary School can be provided.. • Heritage lottery Fund -From Stone age giants to the 20th • Richmount Playgroup Also available for events Century • Community awards or training. We have a • CLEAR project—emotional well-being—Older people fully range of audio-visual and our Newcomer community • Richmount Childcare project equipment • DAEFRA Micro Grant for kitchen & video equipment Charges: The standard • Have your say. Yours views are important In this section we want you to tell us • Installation of heating & insulation to the Community charge is £10 per hour. what are the needs in our community • Community centre for parties & cinema Any food or cinema facilities Centre and how we can tackle them. There has also been funding over the year from the Halifax would be extra. Ballintaggart is now on our distribution list: Please return this form to the Foundation NI and Armagh City Banbridge Craigavon Borough To book please email: community centre or any member of Council. In total so far in the 2018/19 financial year the [email protected] or Ballintaggart residents are very welcome to the committee Association has attracted funding worth some £105,000 for direct text 07934186635 join us in our activities . work with the community plus another £115,000 for work to the See feature on Giants Graves pages 18 & 19 __________________________________________________ community centre __________________________________________________ Joe Garvey said “ Our committee has worked hard to secure this Launch of Peace IV Project __________________________________________________ funding which will give us the opportunity to provide, with com- __________________________________________________ munity support, enhanced services. We will also welcome the op- __________________________________________________ portunity to work with other older people’s groups , and we are __________________________________________________ pleased that our relationship with Ballyoran Seniors has continued __________________________________________________ to develop.” A summary of each of the projects is detailed later in __________________________________________________ this magazine. __________________________________________________ This publication has been funded under the Peace IV project __________________________________________________ Pictured at the start of the Peace 1V project are : L-R The Hay Days—Farming in __________________________________________________ Joe Garvey, Chairman RRCA; Frances Williamson , Ann Connolly & the 1950s in North Armagh is __________________________________________________ Teresa Murphy , Ballyoran Seniors; Letty Houston, RRCA, Patricia still alive on Facebook. __________________________________________________ McElduff ,ABC Council,; Daphne Hegarty, RRCA; Julie Milligan Like all things in farming it __________________________________________________ Secretary RRCA & John Carson, Tides Training needs fed regularly and seeds __________________________________________________ sown. Please submit articles __________________________________________________ or pictures or just browse. __________________________________________________ See: __________________________________________________ https://www.facebook.com/ __________________________________________________ Project supported by the European Union’s Peace IV managed by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) thehaydays1950s __________________________________________________ The views and opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission or the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). 20 1 Editor’s Comments: The Giants’ Graves were sited near the quarry at Ballintaggart adjacent Another great year for the Association. to Ballintaggart Stud and Armagh Cider and the It has been another good year for the Association. Our programme for our older people has expanded and with it the numbers attending our Thursday sessions. We home of the Troughton family who reside in are continuing in our quest for good relations across all in our community Ballintaggart House. regardless of creed, nationality or ethnic origin. Our older people have enjoyed the many holiday trips. We have been able to When the quarry was being expanded in the organise trips in this year alone to: Westport, Argyll and Bute in Scotland and in 1960s to facilitate the building of the Birches December 58 of us (Richmount & Ballyoran Seniors) were in Donegal town for 2 nights. section of the MI Motorway the Giants’ Graves were excavated, together with pieces of early stone age pottery including the We are please to have won the Council’s community awards for services to Older People and also the Small Community Group award. It is wonderful to An impression of what a Ballintaggart Bowl which is now in the Ulster Museum. The stones from win these awards ,but we must never rest on our laurels; we have to continue to provide a quality service Neolithic Court Tomb may the Graves were moved to the Ulster Museum and reconstructed there- which is responsive to the ever changing needs of our community. have looked like but when the museum was being renovated, in 2008 they were moved to To facilitate the long awaited Social Investment Fund scheme to install insulation and oil fired central storage at Cultra. The Giants’ Graves formed a 4 chambered Court Tomb. heating in the community centre and playgroup we manged to acquire a 21 year lease on our site from NI Water. This lease also gives us relatively long term stability. Unfortunately this came with a £2,000 per There was also evidence of a second Court Tomb at the site.This area of year price tag. The contract for the work, which is costing in the region of £115,000, is due to start in the Ballintaggart was owned by the Sacheveral family who were related to the very near future. The question could be asked is why should a voluntary organisation have to pay £2,000 for a site that was derelict and was restored to use by volunteers.? We appreciate the help of our elected Richardsons of Richhill and the Achesons (Gosfords) of Markethill,. Crom- representatives in helping us get the lease, but without an Assembly we found ourselves at the mercy of a well was believed to have been active in the area. Government agency without ministerial control. A substantial house was built on the site and the foundations and wine cel- In terms of our young people we commissioned a Childcare Needs Analysis which could potentially lars are still there. A newer house was believed to have been built by a improve education and childcare facilities in the area. Dean Jonathan Swift was reported to be a frequent visitor to Ballintaggart wine merchant and vineyard owner named Black and both the history and The emotional and physical health of our community remains one of our priorities and we were very House heritage move on through the centuries. pleased to have been awarded grants from CLEAR for the past two years to facilitate projects for our older people and ethnic minorities. The big question being asked - is it not time for the Giants Graves One of the main themes of this magazine is our PEACE 1V project which comes under the Shared Spaces to be returned to Ballintaggart rather than have them in storage ? and Services Re-imaging Programme . This is a challenging programme and we would seek community There is a site similar to the original where they could be relocated. support. Earlier this year we had three primary schools from different backgrounds, coming together as part of a project : Peace say it with Flowers which was funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs & If they were relocated to Ballintaggart we could all see and learn about Trade. It was wonderful to see the children all coming though with the same message—we want to live this ancient civilisation which is on our doorstep. together in peace and harmony. Maybe we have a lot to learn from them. The one message coming across from all our good relations projects has been the concept of: Mutual Respect. This project is not just for people from the Richmount and Ballintag- gart areas. We welcome anyone interested in taking part in the project . One issue that we have highlighted in this magazine is that of loneliness and how it does not discriminate.